Corn-popping apparatus.



Patented May 19, 1903. y

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES CRETORS, OF CHICAGQ'ILLINOIS CORNjPOPPING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 728,550, dated May 19, 1903. Appiano.. tied Augaazs,190g.zsaiiiiaizrsit. "(No man.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern/:1

Be itknown that LOHABLES Canronsa citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Chicago, in the countyof Cookand State of Illinois, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Popping Apparatus, of which the' followingis a specification.

The present invention relates to that type of corn-popping apparatus in which as `the popping operation progresses the popcorn is discharged from the popping-pan as fast as the same pops open; and theobject of the; present improvement is to p rovideasimpleand efficient construction and arrangement;`

of parts which is adaptedto afford aread'y and convenient control vofthe driving connections of the vstirrer mechanism bythe opera-,.-

tor and an automatic discharge of the completely-popped cornas fast as formed during the progress of the popping operation and by means of which the usual Yclogging of the stirrer-blades is prevented in a very effective manner, all as will hereinafter more fully appear, and be more particularly pointed out in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of the present invention, Figure l is aside elevation, with the roasting-pan in section, of

a corn-popping apparatus embodying thek present improvement; Fig. 2, an enlarged detail vertical sectional elevation of the middle portion of the apparatus, taken at line 0c Fig. l; Fig. 3, a fragmentary bottom plan of the cover portion ofthe apparatus; Fig. 4, a detail plan view of the stirrerfblades and their carrying-hub; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the lower portion of the vertically-arranged driving-shaft of the stirrer; Fig. 6, an enlarged transverse section of one ofthe stirrer-blades, taken at line w', Fig. 4..

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring te. the drawings, l represents the usual shallow roasting-pan, open attop and provided with a flat bottom.l Such pan is removably supported in any usual manner above a gas-burner orrothery heater employed to heat the bottom of the pan.

2 isa handle at one side of the pan to aord convenient means for handling said pan.

' 3 is a central iixed bearing-bushing ixedly secured to the bottom of the pan 1- by means ,o t a reduced and screw-threaded extension atv :its ,lowerVv end, which passes through a central orice in the pan-bottom to be engaged by a clamping-nut 4. The upper end of the bearing-bushing 3 is preferably of a cone shape to form a bearing for the stirrer-h ub hereinafter described, and in addition such bearing-bushing is formed with an axial counterbore that ends in an annular abutment-shoulderV 5 at its upper end, all as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

: 6 is the carrying-hubof the stirrerblades formed to fit over and lhave bearing upon the fstation ary bearing-bushing 3 of the panel. To Afthis end said hub wi l1 have its central bore formed with an upper screw-threaded portion, `an intermediate coned .bearingsurface 7,

adapted to fit and havebearing upon'theconed upper end 8 ofthe bushing 3, and a lower circular bearing-surface 9, adapted to fit and have bearingagainst the lower periphery of 1said bushing 3, as illustrated inFig.f 2.

10is an' inner sleeve or ,extension of the stirrer-hub 6, formed .withfa reduced screw- .threaded'upper end adapted to screw into the aforesaidscrewthreaded upper portion lof the .bore ot' the hub 6v and be locked in po- 'xsition `bya radial v set-screw arranged in said hub. VSuch sleevepr extension is also formed with an enlarged lower body portion adapted to have upward bearing against the abutmentshoulder 5 of the bearing-bushing 3 to prevent any tendency on 4the partof thestirrer- 'blades and h ubto an'independent upward movement with relation to the pan-bottom and the' bearing bushing. Such sleeve r extension'is also formedl with a non-'circular bore extending the vertical length of the same and adapted for engagement from either end by the non-circular end of a drivingshaft, from which motion is imparted `to the rotary stirrer of the present construction.

12 is a vertical shaft having a non-circular lower end, which is preferably of the tapering and squared forni Ashown in Fig. 2l and adapted to have operative engagement in the upper end ofthe non-circular bore of the sleeve l0 in a readily-detachable manner and so that such shaft and the pan-cover herein- ICO after described may belifted vertically to permit the removal of the pan and stirrer for cleaning and like purposes.

13 is a non-circular orifice in the lower end of the sleeve 10, adapted to receive the noncircular shank of a suitable wrench by which the sleeve 10 is held from rotation while the stirrer-hub 6 is being unscrewed therefrom in the operation of taking the mechanism apart.

14 represents a series of radially-arranged stirrer-blades, secured in recesses in the under side of the stirrer-hub 6, by rivets or other equivalent means, in a manner to insure a contact of the full length of such blades with the flat bottom of the pan 1. In the present improvement such blades will have an oblique arrangement with relation to the pan-bottom, with their upper surfaces ground down to a knife-edge in manner illustrated in Fig. 6 and preferably by a concave grinding away of the blades, as shown. By such arrangement and construction the adherence of the butter used in the corn-popping operation, with the gradual accumulation of chaff, fuzz, dac., upon the forward edges of the stirrerblades, is prevented in a very efficient and perfect manner.

15 is the pan-cover, of any usual form, preferably of the cone shape shown, and adapted to normally close the open top of the pan 1 in aloose manner. 16 is a central tubular hub on said cover, the central vertical bore ofvwhich is formed with an internal screwthread, as shown, which has operative engagement with a lateral tooth or pin 17 on the side of the driving-shaft 12, so that the cover is wholly supported thereby in the vertically-adjustable and automatic manner now to be described. y

With the commencement of the operation the bottom portion ofthe pan 1 is lled with raw popcorn and the cover 15 lowered to close the open top of the pan. As the corn gradually pops the same increases in volume and presses upward against the under surface of the cover 15 to cause the same to rise vertically, and such rising movement of the cover will continue with the progress of the popping process until the cover is a distance wholly above the top of the pan 1, after which the fully-popped and comparatively light corn will [iow over the edge or margin of the pan 1 and fall into a suitable receiver. In the present construction the described vertical rising of the cover 15 is aided in a positive manner by the lateral stud 17 of the shaft 12 moving downward in the internal screwthread of the cover carrying hub 16, While the cover is held from rotation by contact of the popped corn against the under surface of the cover, as above set forth.

1S is a radial web secured to the under surface of the cover 15 and adapted to aid in the retarding action upon the cover above set forth.

19 is a circular flange on the tubular hub 16, to which the central portion of the cover 15 is secured by rivets or other equivalent means.

2O is an inverted-cone-shaped bracing-web secured to the under surface of the cover 15, with its lower inverted point portion bearing upon the lower portion of' the tubular hub 16 to afford stiffness to the cover and strength to the attachment of the coverto said hub.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a corn-popping apparatus of the character described, the combination of a stationary shallow pan having an open top and a flat bottom, a journal-bushing secured centrally to said bottom, and a rotary stirrer comprising a central hub having bearing upon said bushing and a series of radial blades arranged obliquelyto the surface of said bottom and having their upper surfaces ground down to a knife-edge, substantially as set forth.

2. In a corn-popping apparatus of the character described, the combination of a stationary shallow pan having an open top and a flat bottom, a journal-bushing secured centrally to said bottom, and a rotary stirrer comprising a central hub having bearing upon said bushing and provided with a non-circular bore and a series of radial blades carried by said hub, a driving-shaft having a non-circular end adapted for operative engagement with the stirrer-hub a lateral tooth or pin on said shaft, a pan -cover and a central hub carrying said cover and provided with an internally-screw-threaded bore adapted for operative engagement with the lateral tooth of the driving-shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. In a corn-popping apparatus ofthe character described, the combination of a stationary shallow pan having an open top and a iiat bottom, a journal-bushing secured centrally to said bottom, and a rotary stirrer comprising a central hub having bearing upon said bushing and provided with a non -circular bore and a series of radial blades carried by said hub, a driving-shaft having a non-circular end adapted for operative engagement with the stirrer-hub, a lateral tooth or pin on said shaft, a pan-cover, a central hub carrying said cover and provided with an internally-screw-threaded bore adapted for operative engagement with the lateral tooth of the driving-shaft, and a radial web secured to the under side of the pan-cover, substantially as set forth.

4. In a corn-popping apparatus ofthe character described, the combination of a stationary shallow pan having an open top and a iiat bottom, a journal-bushing secured centrally to said bottom, a central stirrer-hub having a central bore formed with an upper screwthreaded portion and an intermediate lower bearing-surface, an attaching-sleeve having an enlarged lower end engaging the pan-bushing aforesaid and a screw-threaded upper end engaging the screw-threaded bore of the stir- ICO IIO

rer-hub, and a series of radial blades secured to said hub, substantially as set forth.

5. In a corn-popping apparatus of the character described, the combination of a stationary shallow pan having an open top and a flat bottom, a journal-bushing secured centrally to said bottom, and a rotary stirrer comprising a central hub having bearing upon said bushing and provided with a non-circular bore and a series of radial blades carried by said hub, a driving-shaft having a non-circular4 end adapted for operative engagement with the stirrer-hub, a lateral tooth or pin on said shaft, a pan-cover, a central hub carry- CHARLES ORETORS.

Witnessesz' ROBERT BURNS,

HENRY A. NoTT. 

